‘I reached Hillary Step about 7.45am. I was having a drink and we had decided to proceed for at least an hour to go for the summit when the sky turned black. We had no visibility and we chose the sensible option to go down. The storm did not look like it was going to lift and we were not sure how strong the winds were going to be on the top or if the storm was going to get worse. I am proud of my achievement and at only 50 vertical meters from the summit, I know in my heart that had the weather window been longer or more typical I would have summited.’

Margaret corrects that it was not the cold that made her turn so close to the summit. The unpredicted localised weather condition at the summit itself prevented Margaret from reaching the top. For Himalayan Ascent, Margaret’s achievement is one of a summiteer.

Chris Burke has also posted part of her summit experience on her blog. http://www.chrisjensenburke.com/lhotse-and-everest-summits-part-1-of-2/